1
My name is Nguyên Hi, the 320th Holy Maiden of Nam Cương.
I do have talent, but I'm famous for being a coward.
If some kid threw poop at me, all I could do was stand outside their house and cry until nightfall.
My father was once the greatest genius of the righteous path. He relied on his powerful bloodline and loved kicking dogs in the street.
My mother was the previous generation's Holy Maiden: ruthless and powerful enough to scare everyone.
Those two gave birth to me, a useless failure who made the whole sect wonder if I'd been switched at birth.
Only after my talent for raising gu insects came to light did everyone confirm that I really was their biological daughter.
But… a Holy Maiden as cowardly as me really did bring shame on Nam Cương.
After my parents held a secret meeting one night, I woke the next morning to find that, as soon as the sky began to lighten, they'd shoved a small bundle into my hands and sent me straight down the mountain.
All I could do was stare in a daze as my parents flew away on their swords.
I'd been kicked out of my own home…
Not knowing my way around outside, I climbed a tall tree to sleep for the night and hung my bundle from a branch.
Inside were two little boxes—my gu insects. One box was for treating people, and the other was for… S-ing people.
Both were so poisonous they'd be enough to scare someone unconscious.
I hadn't been lying there long when the sound of a fierce fight broke out below.
I jumped and peeked down.
A group of people were fighting beneath the tree, and the stench of blood wafted up.
When they saw me, their eyes lit up in unison.
I hurriedly ducked back out of sight.
Just then, the branch holding my bundle snapped, and it fell straight to the ground.
I cursed the heavens for eight generations.
The heavens seemed to be laughing at me, too.
The people below had noticed me.
I wanted to run, but my bundle was still down there!
“Who’s there? Show yourself at once! Or don’t blame us for what happens!”
That voice was terrifying…
I climbed down, trembling.
Those people were from the righteous path.
One sword cultivator was badly wounded and spitting blood, while the people around him panicked.
Taking advantage of the confusion, I crept toward my bundle.
But a freezing-cold sword pressed against my neck, and I fell onto my bottom, eyes brimming with tears. “Waaah, please don’t kill me! I didn’t do anything…”
The sword-wielding youth frowned. “Don’t be afraid. I won’t kill you.”
He looked skinny, but he was actually very strong.
Seeing them trying to save the sword cultivator, smelling the strong stench of blood, and spotting my bundle in their hands, I gathered all my courage and spoke up. “I… I can help treat him. In exchange… give my things back…”
The whole group stared at me, their eyes half suspicious, half thoughtful.
The wounded man gestured for me to come closer.
Seeing how severe his wounds were and how deeply poisoned he was made me even more scared.
If I couldn't cure him… today might be the last day of my life.
I had barely taken a step when the sword was at my neck again.
Well, I might as well treat him.
2
After repeatedly stuffing five detox pills into the man's mouth, my hands and feet were ice-cold.
There was just one last step.
I turned to the person holding my bundle and blinked pitifully. “Big sis… could you give my bundle back? I’m about to pass out…”
They exchanged glances, then finally handed it back.
I hugged my bundle, wanting nothing more than to run away at once.
I opened the bundle and took out a box.
I gritted my teeth and closed my eyes.
Then I hurled it straight at the wounded man.
Two gu insects immediately burrowed into his wound and began battling the poison in his body.
A piercing scream of agony rang out.
Before the others could ask what I was doing, they saw me crouching with my arms around my head, trembling as I watched and muttered:
“Waaah, that’s so gross…”
Someone came over and crouched beside me. “If he survives, I won’t kill you.”
I looked up—and promptly passed out.
When I woke up, I had become the whole group's lifesaver.
The wounded man, who had been down to his last breath, was now standing steadily beside me.
He handed me the box. “Your gu. Here, take them back.”
I jumped to my feet and immediately backed away six feet. “Don’t come near meeeee!”
He looked at me and laughed. “You’re so afraid of gu insects, yet you still dared to use them to save me.”
Trembling, I stuffed the box back into my bundle.
Then the whole group stared at me. “Don’t you have a storage ring? You look so much like an ordinary mortal.”
I did, but I didn't want to put gu insects in it. They'd dirty the ring.
I didn't explain. I just pulled five pills out of my ring. “You still have poison in your bodies. If you kill me, you'll die too. These are the antidotes.”
They checked, saw that it was true, and all took the pills.
I hugged my bundle and turned to leave, but someone called after me. “Miss, please wait. What’s your name?”
I turned back and frowned.
People who just strike up conversations are terrifying.
“I am Tống Tư Trạch, of the righteous path.”
The righteous path?
That was my father's sect…
Half my body went stiff.
I could only answer honestly. “My name is Nguyên Hi.”
Then they introduced themselves one by one:
“Giang Vô Tiếc.”
“Lăng Vân Phượng of the Sword Sect.”
“Dương Thiên Vũ, body cultivator.”
“Master Không Độ.”
And Lục Bác Lam, who hadn't said a word the whole time.
Only then did I understand: this was a group of young geniuses from the great sects traveling together.
I widened my eyes. “I came down the mountain alone… could I come with you…? I'm really scared…”
Being surrounded by a few highly cultivated young men who could take the hits for me… how safe…
3
My excellent undercover skills let me sneak into a peaceful life with remarkable ease.
My mother only told me to train in raising gu insects. She never said I couldn't travel with the righteous path…
The geniuses from the great sects in this world could surely look after themselves.
But… that had nothing to do with me.
I carried my little bundle everywhere, eating street snacks as I walked. Life was definitely a lot more comfortable.
I headed west the whole way and stopped at a small town by a lake.
The scenery was beautiful, and the air was fresh.
After spending some time together, I realized that Lăng Vân Phượng was actually a very good person.
She was strong and cool on the outside, but the type who was warm at heart.
After we settled in at the inn, the others went to take care of a mission, while I went shopping.
The smell of grilled food from a roadside stall reached me. I took a deep breath, then stood right in front of the counter, staring at the vendor. “I'd like to buy some.”
I kept staring.
The vendor: “…”
In the end, Lăng Vân Phượng had to step in and pay. “Two skewers of each kind, please. Wrap them up.”
And so I walked along, hugging a pile of piping-hot snacks and eating as I went.
Lăng Vân Phượng glanced at me, amused. “You've bought out all the snacks this vendor had.”
I took a bite and shook my head, full of reason. “When you learn to raise gu insects, you have to taste almost all the ingredients… When I was little, I was forced to eat so many awful things that I cried and begged to quit all the time. My father felt so bad for me that he had to buy me sweets to cheer me up.”
After a while, I got hooked.
After that, I bought two more outfits and headed back to the inn.
As soon as I stepped onto the second-floor wooden stairs, the overpowering stench of fresh blood hit me.
Lăng Vân Phượng noticed it too, and her expression immediately darkened.
She rushed to the room and shoved the door open.
A group of people dressed in black were attacking Tống Tư Trạch and the others.
Everyone was injured.
A golden light shield was barely protecting the four of them from being killed.
Lăng Vân Phượng and I showing up shattered the balance.
Before she could even react, her sword had already chopped off someone's head.
“Boom!”
The whole room shook.
I hugged my head and curled up in the corner, screaming inside:
“Help meeeee! This is so scaaary!”
The people in black immediately turned to fight Lăng Vân Phượng.
I had no idea who they'd crossed to get hunted down like this.
At a glance, two of them were in the late Nascent Soul stage, while the strongest on our side was only in the early Nascent Soul stage.
As capable as Lăng Vân Phượng was, she couldn't fight off so many powerful opponents.
Không Độ's golden light shield was on the verge of breaking.
I swallowed nervously. What a perk of being a genius—everyone had a treasure!
There was no other choice.
Throwing gu insects to save lives
I shouted, “Go!”
I hurled the two boxes from my bundle right into the middle of the fight.
The little golden gu insects landed on the people in black, and the black gu insects immediately swarmed over the group.
Their bodies were devoured so quickly that not a trace was left.
Lăng Vân Phượng turned to look at me, her gaze so icy that I immediately shrank back into the corner.
The golden light shield vanished at the same time.
I shakily held out a hand. “Don't…”
But it was too late.
The black gu insects began snapping at the four of them.
This is terrifying, but I can't let them die.
My mother once said, “Every human life is precious.”
Trembling, I picked up the box and shouted softly, “Come back!”
The insects immediately withdrew in swarms.
“BOOM!”
That sound was… me passing out.